Jumbo guitars are a rare thing for Martin, but for anyone who's played one, they're one of the most remarkable instruments out there. Updated in 2018, this J-40 features the tight-wasted body that our guitarists here at Music Experience find exceptionally comfortable, while the classic combination of solid rosewood topped with Sitka spruce delivers satisfying tonal balance and harmonic detail that we tend to think of when we imagine how an acoustic guitar should sound. Combined with an oversized body, the J-40 offers absolutely room-filling projection that translates extraordinarily from the stage to the studio. Top that off with refined aesthetics, and you have the guitar of a lifetime.

Spruce and rosewood: a time-tested combination

The Martin J-40 features an absolutely classic tonewood combination: solid East Indian rosewood back and sides topped with solid Sitka spruce. This produces boldness in the lower register, complex harmonics up high, and clear mids that leave a bit of breathing room for vocals. With its forward-shifted X-bracing and jumbo body shape, the J-40 further offers extraordinary projection that characteristically compresses when you play harder, so once it gets loud (and it sure can project) you'll find the volume smooths out but still reflects your playing intensity. The J-40's sound and robust projection make it ideal for live performance as well as recording. In addition, the J-40 is great for aggressive strumming or subtle fingerpicking — bluegrass, folk, even acoustic rock sound great on the J-40.

Super-playable neck carve and jumbo body

We're sure you'll enjoy playing on its modified low oval neck, which features Martin's high performance taper, an ideal combination of grip and thickness for bread-and-butter chords and technical runs. In a similar way, Martin's jumbo body shape is a unique variety of large-bodied design. While it offers all the surface area you'd expect from a jumbo acoustic, the waist is relatively slender. We've put these guitars in the hands of many seasoned players, and we've been pleased to discover how many people love the feel. It's meaty enough for traditional acoustic guitarists, yet smaller musicians have no trouble handling it either.

Premium appointments worthy of passionate players

Let's cut to the chase: if you're going to spend a good penny on an acoustic guitar, then you're going to want something with looks to match its tone and performance. This is something Martin has always understood, which is why they outfitted their J-40 with exquisite appointments. The most obvious example of this is probably the rosette, which is a classic Martin Style 45 multi-stripe design filled in with premium abalone. They followed that mode on the top, back, and side inlays, going with a Style 45 pattern along the purfling. Running down the select ebony fingerboard, you'll find a reduced hexagon pattern, also in abalone, which terminates at a headstock featuring abalone block-style script and gold open-gear tuners. The whole head and fretboard are further bound in antique white, giving this J-40 a smooth feel and refined looks.

What Martin Says...

Classic styling with a tight-waisted jumbo body shape, the J-40 is constructed from East Indian rosewood back and sides, a Sitka spruce top, and a hand-fit dovetail neck joint. It produces a tone that is beautifully balanced with powerful response and projection, enhancing the art of the singer-songwriter and session player. Boasting gold open geared tuners and Martin’s most comfortable high performance neck, this rare Martin body size has polished gloss finish and a Jumbo tone to set you apart.